Ukraine says it has blocked off Russia’s south and is expanding its deep strikes as part of a broader long-range sanctions campaign against Moscow, targeting energy, maritime and financial networks, with sanctions on grain exports and plans for broader measures against Russia’s war economy; Zelensky urged international replication and the use of frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine as strikes on oil refineries and Black Sea/Sea of Azov operations seek to pressure Moscow.
Ukraine says it used domestically produced Flamingo missiles to strike Russia’s Progress Centre rocket facility and the Savasleyka air base, signaling extended long-range capability near 900 km from the border. Zelenskyy framed the strikes as a tactic to reduce Russia’s war potential. Moscow, meanwhile, is seeking answers from Washington and Ankara about reports of a substantial US weapons package for Kyiv. The broader tit-for-tat also included Russian and Ukrainian attacks with civilian casualties on both sides.
Ukraine says it carried out a major overnight strike on Russia’s Black Sea Fleet base in Novorossiysk, using Palianytsia drone missiles, Neptune missiles, and maritime unmanned systems to hit air defenses, piers, and port infrastructure more than 300 kilometers from the front line. Zelensky called it a unique operation against Russia’s last major Black Sea stronghold, part of Kyiv’s broader long-range campaign against naval facilities and infrastructure behind the front lines.
ISW’s July 23, 2026 assessment finds no confirmed battlefield ground advances by Russian or Ukrainian forces on July 22–23. Ukrainian long-range strikes targeted Russian energy and logistics assets across multiple regions, causing fires at facilities in Ulyanovsk, Voronezh, and Bashkortostan and affecting operations at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, with some impact on shipping in the Black Sea region. Russia conducted a broad drone/missile campaign against Ukraine, including Crimea-area energy targets. On the ground, Russian offensives in northern Sumy, Kharkiv, Oskil, Slovyansk, Pokrovsk, and Oleksandrivka directions did not gain territory, while Ukrainian forces continued counterattacks and drone-enabled reconnaissance. In the south, Russian attempts near Zaporizhzhia and Kherson yielded no progress; power outages persisted in occupied Kherson, and Ukrainian strikes continued against energy infrastructure in occupied Crimea. Belarus announced a fall conscription cycle; Zelensky reiterated willingness for peace talks with a possible trilateral meeting in Fall 2026, while Rubio rejected any Alaska Summit deal ending the war.
Ukraine intensified strikes against Russian seaborne gasoline tankers in the Sea of Azov, reportedly forcing Russia to close some maritime routes and threatening Crimea’s logistics. AIS data hints at a 55% drop in active transponders in the Sea of Azov between June 30 and July 11, suggesting ships may be concealing movements or reducing traffic. Russian consumer gasoline prices surged in June 2026 due to strikes on refineries and fuel deliveries. President Zelensky announced two new Ukrainian commands—the Long-Range (Global) Influence Command and the Joint Rapid Response Forces—while battlefield operations continued across multiple fronts with no definitive breakthroughs. The report also notes a Kremlin-linked hacking operation targeting civilian cameras in NATO countries and Ukraine.
President Zelensky dismissed Putin’s claim that Kostiantynivka is under Russian control as a media bluff, while Ukrainian forces reportedly remain in control and continue counter-sabotage operations. Kyiv pressed for Patriot missiles amid missile attacks, as Ukraine stepped up mid-range strikes more than 50 km behind Russian lines, hitting airfields, bridges, and energy infrastructure in Crimea and other occupied areas. Ukraine’s defense ministry said June saw a near doubling of such deep strikes, with hundreds of thousands of enemy targets hit and thousands of Russian troops killed or injured, underscoring Kyiv’s focus on disrupting Moscow’s logistics.
Ukraine’s defense chief says mid- and long-range strikes behind Russian lines almost doubled in June, focusing on Crimea to disrupt logistics. He highlighted a record month for hits on artillery and vehicles, with over 200,000 enemy targets hit in June and about 28,000 Russian troops killed or seriously injured, as Kyiv seeks to impair Russia’s supply chains from long range.
ISW reports that Russia’s spring-summer 2026 offensive has failed to secure operationally significant gains; June 2026 saw only about 30.4 square kilometers gained at an average pace of 1.01 sq km per day, far slower than June 2025. Ukrainian counterattacks in Kupyansk and Oleksandrivka remain effective, with gains concentrated in Kostyantynivka’s urban terrain at high cost. In the first six months of 2026 Russia seized or infiltrated about 622.6 square kilometers, roughly 28% of the 2025 six-month total, and suffered heavy casualties and equipment losses. Ukrainian long-range and intermediate-range strikes are disrupting Russian logistics and oil infrastructure, causing gasoline shortages and pressuring refinery capacity. Russia has closed seven railway border crossings with Finland, Latvia, and Estonia and is leaning on crude exports while importing refined fuels from India. Belarusian airspace and signal repeaters remain contested. Overall, ISW expects no rapid Russian breakthrough and continued attrition in the near term.
Putin said Russia will continue its offensive to fully capture four Ukrainian regions and rejected Kyiv's proposal to pause long-range strikes as a de-escalation, arguing the pause would ease pressure on Ukrainian forces; he stressed Moscow's aim remains the Donbas and Novorossiya and that Kyiv's strikes on Russia do not alter the front-line dynamics.
Ukraine conducted at least 13 long-range strikes against Russian defense facilities in June—the most in a single month this year— targeting missile plants, electronics, ammunition, and shipbuilding sites, including the Titan-Barrikady plant in Volgograd; Zelenskyy confirmed FP-5 Flamingo missiles were used. Other June targets cited include Progress Michurinsk, VNIIR-Progress, Elastik, Azot, Ekran Optical Systems, the Zaliv shipyard in Crimea, and Orenburg gas-processing sites, with the tally marking 48 Ukrainian strikes on Russian military-industrial facilities from January–June 2026.
In June 2026 Ukraine launched a record wave of long-range drone strikes, nearly tripling May’s total (32 vs 12) and showing Kyiv’s campaign breaking through Russia’s defenses; Moscow claimed large interception figures that analysts question, while the Moscow Kapotnya oil refinery was hit mid‑June, contributing to fuel restrictions across several Russian regions as Ukraine’s drone program grows more capable and far-reaching.
Ukraine says its forces conducted long-range strikes inside Russia, including hitting a major natural gas plant and satellite centers, as part of Kyiv’s ongoing campaign to disrupt Moscow’s war infrastructure, with additional actions reported around Crimea and other military targets.
ISW’s June 22 update notes a Ukrainian strike near Moscow—the third attack on the capital region in a week— hitting the Dubna Space Communications Center; Moscow reported downing most drones and no damage, while Russia reinforces air defenses around Moscow. In the broader conflict, Ukraine is expanding intermediate- and long-range strikes, including against Russian oil facilities and a Voronezh defense plant, worsening fuel shortages in occupied Ukraine and parts of Russia. The campaign has produced numerous long-range strikes in May–June, with Zelensky claiming Fire Point drones can reach up to 2,070 km (aiming for 3,000 km). Belarus remains pressured to halt support for Russia. ISW also notes ongoing infiltration tactics and cautions some battlefield footage may be AI-generated.
Satellite imagery shows the VNIIR Progress weapons plant in Cheboksary enclosed by anti-drone cage armor, which Ukraine attacked with FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles, damaging the cage-surrounded building. The plant produces navigation equipment for high-precision weapons; Ukraine also targeted a Samara oil refinery. Analysts say these long-range strikes demonstrate Kyiv's growing ability to hit key Russian facilities, while the spread of anti-drone nets inside Russia underscores protective measures around critical infrastructure.
Ukraine conducted overnight long-range strikes inside Russia using FP-5 Flamingo missiles, hitting the VNIIR-Progress military-industrial plant in Cheboksary and the Kuibyshev oil refinery in Samara; Zelensky confirmed the strikes, while Moscow said air defenses downed 326 drones. Kyiv frames the operation as part of a broader long-range sanctions campaign targeting Russia’s military production and energy sectors, with the VNIIR-Progress plant linked to drone and missile components production.
